Book Review/ Giveaway: Mary's Place, Reflections and Recipes by Mary Pelzel

** THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED **




welcome to fall yall button 2010
Synopsis: When born and bred city girl Mary Pelzel moved with her husband, David, to a renovated hunting cabin in the Wenatchee National Forest of Western Washington, she had no idea what adventures - and misadventures -- lay ahead. Describing life in the Great North Woods as "his dream, my nightmare," Mary's delightful memoir, Mary's Place: Reflections & Recipes, is reminiscent of Betty MacDonald's classic, The Egg and I.

marys place cover
Mary's transformation from demure, and perhaps somewhat naïve, young bride into a true mountain woman wasn't easy and certainly wasn't overnight. Tales of blood-sucking insects, meat-eating flying creatures, hissing and venom drooling snakes, spiders with hair "longer than mine," frogs in the refrigerator, and lizards in the dining room, are just the beginning of her ten-year saga.

For the reader, chuckles and shivers will alternate with each unforgettable experience. But as a wonderful bonus, and in the truest sense of turning lemons into lemonade, Mary has followed each page of anecdotes with a delicious recipe. They range from a breakfast treat of Monkey-Faced Strawberry Muffins to an evening meal of Pasta with Kielbasa Sausage (or rattlesnake, if you prefer) and Vermouth - and, of course, Mom's Favorite Lemon Meringue Pie. "For anybody that cares," she adds, "I have included also complete instructions on cleaning an outhouse!
 
About the Author: Emboldened by her ability to cope with a totally new lifestyle, Mary discovered she had an entrepreneurial spirit as well. Today, she is the proud owner of Mary's Place Gifts &
Tea House in Naches, Washington, on Chinook Pass, where visitors can enjoy her private
label jams, jellies, breads and soups, and sit a while to chat over a cup of tea.

Review: This is a good little memoir/cookbook, with some really interesting recipes! The Basil Burgers sound just divine,  as do her Strawberry Muffins! The story and incidents that occurred when moving to the 'deep woods' are funny and sound like things that would happen to you and I. This is a cute book and I recommend it for all cookbook lovers! Here's her Apricot Bars recipe- perfect for Fall weather and totally adaptable to whatever fruit you have on hand!

North Woods Apricot Bars

Ingredients:

  • 2/3 cup of dried apricots. Apricot filling may be substituted for dried apricots for convenience.
  • 1/2 cup of soft butter or margarine (Allow the butter or margarine to come to room temperature.)
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup sifted flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup whole-bran cereal
  • 1 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 2 eggs, well beaten
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
  • confectioners sugar
Instructions
  1. If using dried apricots: Rinse the apricots thoroughly. Place in a saucepan and cover with water. Boil the apricots for 10 minutes. Drain the fruit and allow to cool. Chop the apricots into very small pieces.
  2. Mix 1/2 cp flour, butter and granulated sugar until crumbly.Stir in cereal. Pat into the bottom of the ungreased jellyroll pan. Bake at 350 degrees, for about 25 minutes or until lightly browned.
  3. In a small bowl, sift together rest of flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside
  4. In a large bowl, beat the eggs and gradually add the brown sugar. Be sure to mix well.
  5. Slowly add the flour mixture to the eggs and mix well.
  6. Mix in the vanilla, chopped nuts and chopped apricots (or apricot filling, if you prefer).
  7. Spread the mixture over the baked crust layer. Be sure to cover the crust entirely.
  8. Bake for 30 minutes or until the mixture tests done.
  9. Cool the apricot cookie completely in the pan before cutting.
  10. When cooled, sprinkle with confectioners sugar, to taste.
Note: you can substitute Brandy, Orange or Cherry Liquor, for the water to boil the apricots in, for an adult version.


The  Giveaway

One  Winner will win this review copy of Mary's Place, Reflections and Recipes  !!



ENTRIES:

Make  sure I  have an email address, with your comment, so I can contact you, if you  win!   
If I  don't have a way to contact you, you will  forfeit your win!

USA/ Canada


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BONUS:    Enter   this post link in a  Giveaway Linky on another site (5 entries)** MUST  provide link to the  Giveaway Linky!            



Contest    will  end on October 29th,    at midnight.  Winner will be picked by Random Number (random.org) on   October 30th,  and  emailed. As soon as winner's info is received, I will mail book to the winner, within the week!








Disclosure / Disclaimer:  I received this book from the author, free of charge, via Bostick Communications, for review purposes. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it.

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